Can Northeast Be The Next Driver For Indian Stock Market?

UTI CNBC-TV18's special show Financial Advisors Forum focused on the techniques of increasing investment penetration in a market like Guwahati. There are lots of tools available and most people have a lot of money in savings, but they don’t know whether they want to put that into investment. The discussion highlighted on that idea for the people.

The forum also targeted on various aspects of how to mould a client into becoming an investor. North East is a labour oriented industry with timber and tea exports. The people there don’t plan for retirement and could have a lack of funds post retirement.

A lot of North East youth and children go out to metros to pursue higher education. The programme also focused on how parents fund their education costs. The aspects like how can financial advisors tap a market, penetrate this market and make these savers into investors would also be covered.

The panellist for the discussion included BP Muktieh, chairman and managing director of North Eastern Development Finance Corporation; Naresh Pachisia, managing director of SKP Securities and a certified financial planner; Debashish Mohanty, country head of retail network at UTI and RK Garg, chief general manager of North Eastern circle at SBI.

Here is the edited transcript of their discussion.

Q: How to increase the investment penetration? What should be the roadmap for it?

Mohanty: The investment penetration is very low in this part of the country and whole of the country. Out of 120 crore population, there might be around 1.5 crore unique mutual fund investors. It clearly states the agenda that we need more penetration.

This product is intangible which delivers value at a future point of time, and need a bit of effort to explain and create the need in the minds of investor who doesn't feel the necessity on its own. For this, we need to create more number of advisors, whether it is an individual financial advisor or a banker acting on behalf of its remote branch or a post office or a sub-broker of a distributor.

At present, we have only 40,000 KYD compliant advisors to promote or penetrate in 120 crore population. We should encourage and facilitate anyone coming for more advisors.

We should also create an atmosphere of investment by spreading investor education, which not only required creating the amount the people who can invest, but it can also be started at an early age in school or colleges by inculcating the right curriculum.

Q: What has been your experience? You have seen this market. Do you think that your bank is playing a crucial role in terms of penetrating in this market in terms of financial planning?

Garg: The awareness about investment product is very low here. People mostly back with different banks, put their money in fixed deposits or savings bank accounts and wait for that annual rate of interest.

Therefore, SBI reaches out to different clusters of people spread across the North East, for example, executives of Oil India, ONGC and army establishments as we have nearly 200 thousand army men across seven states.

We organise groups, collect 50 people and send out people to inform them to improve their returns from various types of investments.

Q: What is the key factor needed to penetrate a market like this? What are the challenges that a financial advisor has to go through?

Pachisia: More number of advisors penetrating a very under penetrated market of investors potential investors, who are right now savers but not yet investors, and educating them about the need to think of the financial wellbeing of their family. Then, they create of a good relationship with them and think of this profession on a scalable basis.

Q: The advisors should meet the needs of the customers or harp on those needs. What is the mindset of people here? Most of the youth go out of North East to metros to pursue higher education and the costs are large. Are parents doing enough? Is it a need that financial advisors can look into and everyone needs to be trained on that?

Muktieh: As far as North East is concerned, it is a very potential market and very underserved. The capital market has been largely ignored. There is a need for advisors where people from the region can attend to and they can advise them on how to invest.

As of now, when we look at the region, each of these states have been growing at a very high rate almost at the all India level in the last seven-eight years. People will be turning to the capital markets only when they are confident.

Since there is a lack of knowledge, there is a need to educate them and that’s the role of the financial advisor. For that, they need to be very confident themselves. There is need for the advisors to upgrade and educate themselves. Their confidence will encourage these people to invest in these areas.

 

Source : CNBC-TV18

5 Types of Condoms For Great Sex

By Biben Laikhuram
It's a lot of fun to choose the right condom before a steamy love making session. Today there are many varieties of condoms available in the market, from flavoured condoms to dotted condoms. It's always safe and feels good to wear condom while having sex.

If you are not on a baby-making mission and want to arouse and stimulate your partner like never before, we list down 5 varieties of condoms for great sex.

1. Flavored condoms
Such condoms are best for oral sex. They are available in a wide range of flavors such as chocolate, coffee, strawberry, mint, vanilla and many more. If you are using it for vaginal or anal sex, always make sure they are sugar-free in order to avoid yeast infection.

2. Dotted condoms
If you want that extra pleasure this is the right condom for you. Textured or studded condoms are meant for increasing pleasure for both the partners. These condoms have slight bumps that run through the length of the condom on both the sides.

3. Super thin condoms
If you want to use a condom and still get the same kick as condom-free sex, this one will suit you fine. This type of condom is transparent with a thin layer made of sheerlon material that acts like a second skin. It is highly effective against pregnancy and STDs.

4. Pleasure-shaped condoms
This type of condom heightens sensitivity for both the partners. It has loose and enlarged tip.

5. Glow in the dark condoms
If you want to experience kinky sex, this is the right choice. When exposed to light for 30 seconds, it glows in the dark. It is non-toxic and has three layers. The inner and the outermost layers are made up of latex and the middle one contains a safe pigment that makes it glow.

Even with condoms one needs to take precautions. So, next time you are buying one don't forget to check the label if it is FDA approved for use against unplanned pregnancy and STDs.

Arunachal Stares At Food & Fuel Crisis

Itanagar, Dec 22 : Food and fuel crisis looms large over three Arunachal districts following a road blockade launched by anti-dam activists in Assam's Lakhimpur district in protest against the Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project.

The ongoing blockade by All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Somiti (KMSS) in Lakhimpur since the last few days has badly hit the three districts of East, West and Upper Siang resulting in a halt in supply of fuel and essential commodities, an official said on Wednesday.

The organizations have launched an agitation against construction of mega dams in the Subansiri River at Gerukamukh which they fear would jeopardize the existence of people living in the downstream areas of the river.

They have accused the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) of failing to act on the recommendations of an expert panel that pointed out perils of the ongoing 2000-MW Lower Subansiri Project. The organizations staging protests have blocked movement of vehicles carrying construction materials and fuel to the project site at Gerukamukh thereby sending a strong message to the authorities concerned to stop dam construction.

The protesters have blocked movement of all material-laden trucks and fuel tankers to Lakhimpur, which has resulted in acute fuel and food crisis in the Siang belt. East Siang deputy commissioner Talem Tapok on Wednesday requested his Lakhimpur counterpart for releasing the detained vehicles, including oil tankers, which are on the way to Arunachal.

"Lakhimpur DC has assured us to allow the vehicles in after a negotiation with the protesters," the DC said. The Siang districts have been hit by shortage of fuel for the second time this year. In August, due to flashfloods in Dhemaji (Assam), surface transport on National Highway-52 was disrupted for which three Siang districts had to face acute shortage of essential commodities and petroleum products for a fortnight.

The NH-52, which passes through Lakhimpur and Dhemaji district, is considered the lifeline of people for the three districts.

$130 Million World Bank Aid for 300,000 Village Homes in Northeast India

New Delhi, Dec 22 : The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$130 million credit to finance the Government of India’s (GOI) efforts to empower rural communities in the growth-deficient North East (NE) region to improve their livelihood opportunities.

The North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) seeks to support the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged, in four North Eastern states to improve their standard of living by establishing sustainable community institutions and enhancing their livelihoods.

Despite its rich natural resources and relatively good human development indicators, the NE region lags behind the rest of India in important parameters of growth. Almost 35 percent of its predominantly rural population lives below the poverty line; agricultural productivity is low; and high school drop-out rates and lack of skills have led to high unemployment among the youth.

This low-growth scenario is exacerbated by problems of geographical inaccessibility, protracted insurgency in some areas, and recurring natural disasters. Recognizing the urgent need to put economic growth on track in the NE, the Government of India developed the North Eastern Region (NER) Vision 2020, endorsed by all NE states.

The Vision envisages using a partnership-approach with all relevant stakeholders to make interventions responsive to people’s needs and aspirations for a better quality of life.

The NERLP will be implemented in eight districts of the four participating states- Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South, West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura.

“The Government of India is committed to address the development challenges facing the NE states and we hope that the World Bank’s experience in rural livelihood projects worldwide will help improve livelihood opportunities for the rural poor in the region,” said Roberto Zagha, Country Director, World Bank. “The Project will hinge on people’s participation, and village communities will be helped to design livelihood programs that can improve their lives.”

The Project seeks to develop an institutional platform for the communities, which will help them link up with the private sector, public sector, and civil society and to acquire the institutional, technical, and financial capacity needed for improving their livelihoods. Global development experience shows that absolute poverty can be overcome by equipping a member of the household (especially a youth) with employable skills and job creation.

A separate activity for skills development and job placement has thus been included in the project to ensure that such opportunities are available to the rural poor.

Some livelihood opportunities envisaged under the Project include natural resource management activities such as forest management, non-timber forest produce storage and processing, horticulture, preservation of riverine fishes, water harvesting and recharging of ground/surface water in the villages; Community-based infrastructure activities like upgrading of small agricultural link roads, micro hydro-power schemes, wind-cum-solar mills, to name a few.

Bru Refugees Issue Hogs Limelight in Mizoram

By H C Vanlalruata

Aizawl, Dec 21 : Issues related to rehabilitation of Bru refugees, Census officials facing opposition from religious fanatics and widespread forest fires kept Mizoram in news in 2011.

The third phase of the repatriation commenced on April 12, the day when 82 Bru families returned from Tripura to Mizoram and around 622 families returned till May 19.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's plans to visit Bru-inhabited areas in May to oversee the process was cancelled due to inclement weather. It also resulted in stalling of further repatriation.

A massive fire broke out in the largest Bru relief camp - Naisingpara on March 19, killing 19 people and injuring more than 50 besides destroying over 3,000 houses.

The second phase of Census 2011 began from February 9 with 2,200 enumerators and 450 supervisors encountering religious fanatics who refused to be enrolled because of the fear of being identified or marked with the number of the Biblical Beast or Satan.

The first part of the year witnessed widespread forest fires which were followed by monsoon downpours causing landslides and perpetual road blockades and destruction of properties.

Former chief minister Brig. Thenphunga Sailo retired from active politics and was replaced by his son Lalhmangaiha Sailo, a retired IRS officer as the president of the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC).

While pneumonia became the largest killer disease in the state, the mysterious deaths of six villagers of Thanzamasora hamlet in Lunglei district in March alarmed the people of this southern district.

The superstitious villagers belonging to the Chakma community fled the hamlet and hid in the nearby forests due to the belief that black magic was casted upon them and the 'Bawlpu' or village medicine man could not drive away the evil spirits.

Doctors, who first suspected malaria, after sending the tissues and body fluids of the victims to the National centre for Disease Control in Delhi, discovered that the villagers died due to an extremely rare disease called Indian Tick Typhus.

Another lesser known disease known as Scrub Typhus, propagated by mites and ticks, killed three people in the state and all of them were infected in Mizoram-Myanmar border Champhai district.

More than 30 people fell victim to the ferocious canine menace during October while the 'shoot at sight' orders issued by the authorities drew flak from animal activists.

The peace and tranquillity of the state known as 'an island of peace' was shattered by the abduction of two executives of Assam-based construction company Anupam Bricks and Concrete Industries Limited by suspected Bru militants on June six, 25 days before the state celebrated the 25th anniversary of the signing of the historic peace accord between the Centre and the erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF). They were later rescued.

There was a change of guard at the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl as Vakkom B Purushothaman was sworn-in as the new governor on September 2 replacing Lt. Gen Madan Mohan Lakhera.

Polo Ponies May Be A Dying Breed In The Birthplace Of The Game

Loss of habitat and lack of resources threaten the survival of the agile animals of Manipur, writes RAHUL BEDI

DISTINCTIVE POLO ponies peculiar to India’s northeastern Manipur province, where the game associated with aristocrats and royalty originated thousands of years ago, are fast becoming endangered.

They stand 11-13 hands high or 3.6-4.3ft, are agile and enduring and are descendents of the Mongolian Wild horse crossed with Oriental and Arab stock. But Manipuri polo ponies are beset by loss of habitat and grazing grounds due to expanding population, inadequate breeding and veterinarian facilities and a desperate resource crunch which makes it difficult to keep them in nutritious fodder.

In addition, these specialised ponies had, over the years, been smuggled across the porous border to frontier towns in neighbouring Myanmar, barely 50km away, and yoked to carts for transporting passengers and material. Locals withdrew them from polo tourneys and dragooned them into hauling loads in remote and sparsely populated hill districts surrounding the lush Manipur Valley where the majority of the state’s 2.7 million people live.

Many ponies have died after being beaten up or knifed by local farmers for straying into their paddy fields, while more endure painful suffocation after swallowing discarded plastic bags.

“Polo is a common man’s game in Manipur but the majority of its proponents are unable to afford suitable upkeep for their ponies,” said Noren Singh, honorary secretary of the Manipur Polo Association.

“We are constantly running from pillar to post for money to ensure the ponies’ survival and at times even contribute from our own pockets but that’s barely enough,” he added ruefully.

If something is not done quickly, the Manipuri polo ponies will become extinct, Singh warned. The majority of Manipur’s polo players are school and college students, farmers and labourers whose passion for the game is in inverse proportion to their limited finances.

According to Manipur’s 17 surviving polo clubs – down from about 25 a few years ago – there are some 500 ponies in the valley and just half that number in the adjoining hill regions, compared to around 1,100 in 2007.

The provincial government had established a breeding farm in the late 1980s but following recurring clashes between rival tribes it was taken over by one of the warring groups and all but disappeared.

Many of the ponies housed there died and the survivors suffered increasingly from a lack of wholesome fodder, a combination of diseases, timely medical treatment and, above all, an ineffective breeding programme.

But polo ponies are hardly a priority in Manipur, one of India’s most backward and insurgency-ridden provinces.

It also has the highest rate of heroin addiction – the narcotic is available cheaply, smuggled from Myanmar – and an alarmingly high percentage of HIV-positive victims.

Known locally as Sagol-Kangjei – sagol for horse and kangjei meaning mallet or hockey stick – polo originated in Manipur around 3100 BC and was played by royalty and the king’s cavalry.

Mounted on Manipuri ponies, locals wearing tight-pheijoms or sarongs tucked up to their knees; chunky, half-sleeved, jacket-like shirts; and thick white turbans played a game with minimal rules that appears to have been a hybrid of Afghanistan’s and Central Asia’s untamed tribal buzkashi horse sport and, surprisingly, a localised version of hurling.

With seven players to a side, no fixed field size or goal posts and no time duration, Sagol-Kangjei was a wild, uncontrolled melee in which any team member was free to catch the willow ball even in the air and gallop with it to score a goal even by hitting it, hurling-like in mid-flight.

Even the ponies were trained to carry the ball in their mouths and drop it victoriously into their opponents’ side.

The sport also helped hone the Manipur cavalry’s equestrian skills in their frequent skirmishes with their restive Burmese neighbours over territorial control.

In the mid-19th century, British soldiers and tea planters chanced upon it in Imphal at the world’s oldest existing polo ground and, over years, adapted it to the way it is played today.

In 1859, the British founded the world’s first polo club in nearby Chachar in modern day Assam state that no longer exists.

They also called the game “polo”, a derivative of pulu, the Tibetan word for willow, from which the balls were originally made.

Four years later came the Calcutta Polo Club – in the city that became colonial India’s capital – which is still active. Officers returning on home leave brought the game to England.

The first “official” polo match was organised by an officer from the 10th Hussars on Hounslow Heath in 1869 and five years later the game’s governing body, the Hurlingham Polo Association, drew up its first set of rules many of which are still in existence.

Federal Bank Opens Recruitment Gates

Federal Bank has started recruitment 2011-12 for officers.

Federal Bank, a private sector bank invites applications from aspiring personnel who are looking for a challenging work environment and progressive career.
The bank is inviting applications for the posts of Assistant Manager (JMG-S-I), Manager (MMG-S-II) and Senior Manager (MMG-S-III) with pay scales Rs.14500-Rs.25700, Rs.19400-Rs.28100 and Rs.25700-Rs.31500 respectively.

Only online applications are accepted for the above mentioned jobs.

The online application process began on December 7, 2011 and closes on December 26, 2011 (5pm).

The probation period would be an year. To be eligible, one needs to be any graduate with 60% and above.

As regards age, one needs to be upto 28 years (as on 01.11.2011) for asst. manager and upto 30 years (as on 01.11.2011) for manager/senior manager.

Work Experience (as on November 1, 2011) - 1 year for asst. manager, 2 years for manager and 3 years for senior manager.

There is no written exam. Selection is based on the basis of GD/PI at Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and other centers, depending upon the number of candidates.

Applications can be registered online by logging on to Bank's website www.federalbank.co.in and follow the link 'careers'.

Then click 'Current Openings-Recruitment for OFFICERS in JMG.S.I/MMG.S.II/ MMG.S-III. Then click 'apply online'. Then online application will open. Fill up all the details required in the application and click 'Submit' available at the bottom of the online application and the online application will be registered.

If the application is accepted a roll number and password will appear for the online registration immediately on the screen . An e-mail incorporating the roll number and password will be sent to the e-mail id of the applicant within three days from the date of successful registration.

For more infor, log on to http://federalbank.co.in/otherfiles/staff/Recruitment%20Notification.pdf

To apply online, http://careers.federalbank.co.in:8080/Recruitment/hrclientacl01.jsp

AIEEE 2012: How To Apply Online

As the last date to apply for AIEEE comes closer, you need not fret if you are unable to go to the designated centre for submission of forms etc. You can do that online.

The All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) is an all-India common entrance examination for admission to engineering and architecture or planning programmes at the undergraduate level.

The last date to apply is December 31, 2011.

One can apply through AIEEE website http://aieee.nic.in.

Here are the steps you need to follow to apply online:
1. Check your eligibility criteria.

2. Check the fee schedule and prepare a Demand Draft in favour of Secretary, CBSE, payable at Delhi/New Delhi. In case of Credit/Debit Card, keep your card ready for making online payment.

3. Fill in all the particulars as per requirement in the online application Form.

4. Submit Fee details and take printout of confirmation page.

5. Complete the confirmation page i.e. paste two photographs, signature(s), thumb impression, address and attestation from the principal of the school/gazetted officer. Send confirmation page to AIEEE unit by speed/registered post only.